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Women’s soccer club excited to debut next fall

The Women’s Soccer Club will take to the field this fall when RecSports allows the formation of club teams for sports with Notre Dame varsity teams for the first time.

Freshman Ally Kirst, an officer of the Women’s Soccer Club, said the team came to be after junior Emma Russ spent the past year negotiating with RecSports.

“We are very excited to finally be able to start up,” Kirst said.

Freshmen Alexis Pala and Shannon Hogan will join Kirst as officers of the club team.

Pala said Notre Dame needed a soccer club because of the large difference between the varsity and interhall teams. Many female students have played competitive soccer in high school, but neither the interhall nor the varsity teams provide a comparable environment to that of their high school teams, she said.

“This club is for girls who are committed and have a love for soccer, but don’t want the commitment that the varsity level calls for,” Pala said. “It’s more serious and competitive than intramurals, but less than a varsity sport.”

Kirst said the team will practice two to three days per week and have 10 regular season games during the fall semester, not including tournament games.

They will compete against teams in the Midwest Alliance Conference, which includes schools such as Purdue University, the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Indiana University, she said.

The club is looking for a roster of about 24 girls, Kirst said. Although the officers are mostly looking for girls who have some experience and skill from playing competitive soccer, Kirst said they would like to see anyone with any interest in soccer try out .

“We are looking for talented players, of course,” she said, “but also team players as well.”

Pala said the team wants to bring the spirit of soccer to non-varsity players.

“It will bring back the feeling of being a part of a team and having a commitment to it,” she said.

Even though next year will be the first year of the team’s existence, Pala said the girls already have high hopes for the team’s success.

“We would love to be a dominating club within our league, but more than that we want to be a valuable addition to this campus and be a good outlet for female students,” Pala said. “Our goals are to be successful, to create a strong team environment, and to grow as people and players.”

An information meeting for the Women’s Soccer Club took place Wednesday, but interested students can contact any of the officers. Tryouts will take place in the fall.